I'm lookin to start a weight program of some sort, but I am a total n00b. any suggestions as to where to go for a decent beginner's workout?

2/4/2011 12:45:55 PM

The gym.

2/4/2011 12:59:24 PM

well, duh. I mean a suggestion for a good n00b workout, durr

2/4/2011 1:01:14 PM

starting strength : http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

its ~5 lifts total. will take 30-45 minutes 3 times a week and you will grow. if you cant eat properly and think 5 day a week hour+ workouts will solve your problems youre mistaken.

good luck. its easy.

2/4/2011 1:32:11 PM

yeah, I'm just looking to build up some strength and then maintain it, mainly as a supplement to my running that I already do.

2/4/2011 2:35:04 PM

Quote :

"My damn right knee hurts. It hurts if t stays bent or I walk down stairs or stand up for a seated position. I think I hurt doing lunges a couple days ago. Guess I'm gonna walk on the treadmill (walking doesn't hurt) and do upper body today then allow two days rest. Sucks, it hurts cause I'm fat but to lose the fat I need to use it!! Think a knee brace would help? It feels like it's under the knee cap. Do they make em fOr fatties?"

When you did lunges how much were you bending your knees? You don't really want to bend them more than 90° or so. Most importantly you don't want your knee moving farther forward than the front of your toes, its too much stress.

I don't know your background regarding this, but if your knee hurts why not see a doctor? Have you injured it in the past? You said you're fat and unfortunately that puts an unhealthy amount of stress on your knee. If there's nothing to be done about your knee pain I'd suggest finding a gym with a pool. Swimming is a fantastic source of exercise and is very easy on your knees.

[Edited on February 4, 2011 at 3:28 PM. Reason : d]

2/4/2011 3:21:53 PM

I think I had bad form my knee may have gone over my toe. It hurts a little every once in a while since I've been at my heaviest. I'm One of those can't afford Heath insurance not in schoo type people. The pool is a good idea though.

2/4/2011 4:15:12 PM

Yeah, probably not a good idea to lift heavy with no health insurance.. just saying.

2/4/2011 4:18:11 PM

Quote :

""My damn right knee hurts. It hurts if t stays bent or I walk down stairs or stand up for a seated position. I think I hurt doing lunges a couple days ago. Guess I'm gonna walk on the treadmill (walking doesn't hurt) and do upper body today then allow two days rest. Sucks, it hurts cause I'm fat but to lose the fat I need to use it!! Think a knee brace would help? It feels like it's under the knee cap. Do they make em fOr fatties?""

Eating right will help you quicker than working out, most likely. I'd recommend getting on a diet asap if you're not able to work out properly.

2/4/2011 5:03:54 PM

I've not worked out since monday, been sick as fuck all week. This sucks because it was week 6 of p90x. I'll repeat week 6 next week to make up for it.

2/4/2011 5:05:31 PM

I am on a diet as well as working out. Just dieting never worked for memsince I have very little muscle. Having more means I'll burn more. It does help

Does heavy lifting include lunges? Obviously if it was serious I would go but that's like saying don't run if you don't have health insurance. Silly and not helpful at all.

It's just a dull ache. I remember growing up I hated the backseat because my knees would ache after being bent fOr too long. It's the same kind of ache. Nothing popped or ripped.

2/4/2011 6:11:50 PM

Think about sitting down in a chair when you squat, or like somebody grabbed you by the waistband from behind and pulled backwards as you go down.

You're pretty much going for nearly a 90 degree angle between your lower leg and thigh, thigh parallel to the floor. Ideally the knees stay over the ankles, but definitely not out further than the toes like was mentioned before.

Also make sure you do some dynamic stretches to get the fluid in the knees moving around.

2/4/2011 6:44:05 PM

I did light cardio tonight for 20 min and it actually made my knee feel a little better. I don't think I can do a proper lunge until I lose some weight. gain muscle/balance. I definitely don't want to hurt it again. I'll have two days of rest now so hopefully it'll be back up to speed before Monday.

What kind of exercises do you recommend to create balance? I forget the name but I did notice that half ball on a plastic flat surface thing at the gym. I guess I could stand on that with one leg up.

2/4/2011 9:11:04 PM

i don't know the exercises you are talking about but....


i also have knee pain too from time to time :/
most of the time i can pinpoint it to doing an excercise wrong (ie packman pointed one out perectly one day!) bt sometimes i think it may have something to do with all of the distance running i did in earlier years....


sorry, i know that didn't help you.
just thought id share

2/4/2011 11:19:35 PM

Yeah I wasn't paying close enought attention to my form when doing them, I did like five then it hurt and I was like ok noooooo more for now. I'm about 99% postive it's my weight + poor form.

2/4/2011 11:23:09 PM

Quote :

"What kind of exercises do you recommend to create balance? I forget the name but I did notice that half ball on a plastic flat surface thing at the gym. I guess I could stand on that with one leg up."

Bosu ball

2/5/2011 12:03:53 AM

Quote :

"What kind of exercises do you recommend to create balance?"

Jump rope. It's also a great cardio workout.

2/5/2011 10:55:29 AM

I'm trying the intermittent fasting for a week to see what happens. Found a schedule that looks good, basically no food from 6pm until 6pm the next day. So you get breakfast, lunch, and then do a light early meal one day, then just a regular dinner the next. Probably going to eat normally on Sundays so I have Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday as my "dinner only" days.

2/5/2011 12:10:19 PM

last night I saw a guy I hadn't seen in over a year. he was all "omg Kate look at you you look all tiny"

i'm definitely not tiny but yay at someone noticing I'm not quite huge as I was
makes the diet thing kinda worth it

next goal- fit into that damn high waisted skirt I bought so I can stroll around like I am that hot chick on mad men

2/5/2011 1:20:18 PM

Can you IF gurus recommend some sites to read up on Intermittent Fasting. I'd love to learn more about it. (Ive read the wiki and a few of the first google results

2/5/2011 1:53:44 PM

today i messed around w/some of the p90x stuff. Not going to commit, just use as a supplement to my current training

did the yoga x dvd. First time ever doing yoga. Was 90min session, i lasted 30 before i said f it. Then did ab ripper x for 15min. That's some intense core work!

maybe tm ill try out the back and bi's set

2/5/2011 2:23:11 PM

^^^ congrats! it's always nice when people start to notice.

2/5/2011 5:13:02 PM

Quote :

"Can you IF gurus recommend some sites to read up on Intermittent Fasting. I'd love to learn more about it. (Ive read the wiki and a few of the first google results"

leangains really is the best. Check out this basic guide that Martin put together:

http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html

2/5/2011 5:51:57 PM

Just got back from an 8+ mile run and checked my measurements and weight.

From May of last year, I have lost over 30 lbs and 6.75" from my waist.

Thanks TWW!

2/5/2011 7:23:17 PM

^ that is awesome

2/5/2011 7:25:09 PM

^^ impressive

Ran the Krispy Kreme Challenge today. That doesn't really help my goals but I was pleased at how much better I was during the run. A year ago, there's no way I would have made it that far without walking a ton.

2/5/2011 7:42:01 PM

ok so my girlfriend and I start tomorrow, got it all planned out

Upon Waking(30 min prior to meal 1):
750 to 1500ml ice cold water(1-2 Absolut Vodka bottles[with water in them])
2400mg Cissus Quadrangularis(1/2 tsp)(anabolic)
300mg Alpha Lipoic Acid(1 capsule)
400mg EGCG(1 capsule)
200mg Garlic Extract(1 capsule)

Meal 1:
3500mg Creatine Monohydrate(1 heaping tsp)(anabolic)
1 scoop pre + probiotics + digestive enzymes "greens"
Animal protein
Legumes
Mixed Vegetables

Meal 2(optional):
Animal protein
Legumes
Mixed Vegetables

30 min prior to Meal 3:
2400mg Cissus Quadrangularis(1/2 tsp)(anabolic)
300mg Alpha Lipoic Acid(1 capsule)
400mg EGCG(1 capsule)
200mg Garlic Extract(1 capsule)

Meal 3:
Animal protein
Legumes
Mixed Vegetables

Meal 4(optional):
Animal protein
Legumes
Mixed Vegetables

30min prior to Meal 5:
300mg Alpha Lipoic Acid(1 capsule)
400mg EGCG(1 capsule)
200mg Garlic Extract(1 capsule)

Meal 5:
Animal protein
Legumes
Mixed Vegetables

30 min prior to meal 6:
2400mg Cissus Quadrangularis(1/2 tsp)(anabolic)
20mg Policosanol(1 capsule)
300mg Alpha Lipoic Acid(1 capsule)
400mg EGCG(1 capsule)
200mg Garlic Extract(1 capsule)

Meal 6:
3500mg Creatine Monohydrate(1 heaping tsp)(anabolic)
Animal protein(For men, consume ~800mg cholesterol at this time)
Legumes
Mixed Vegetables

Other options:
20-30g L-Glutamine post workout
In the evenings, place ice pack on the back of your neck for 20-30min while watching TV
Every other day, 5-10 minute cold shower before breakfast and before bed. Focus water on upper back/neck for 3-5 minutes.
Once per week, 20 minute ice bath and eat 200-450mg cayenne with some lean animal protein consumed 30 min prior


Workout(google "colorado experiment"): 3x week, no more
5 min warm up
5 min dynamic stretch

(all exercises are too be performed without rest unless noted)
Leg Press x 20
Leg Extension x 20
Squat x 20
120 seconds rest
Leg Curl x 12
Individual Calf Raises 3 x 15
Pull Down Variation x 10
Row Variation x 10
Pull Down Variation x 10
120 seconds rest
Lateral Raises x 8
Shoulder Press Variation x 10
120 seconds rest
Bicep Curl Variation x 8
Chin-Ups to failure
120 seconds rest
Tricep Extensions x 22
Dips x 22(or failure)

10min Static/PNF Stretching

-Omit rest & modify exercises as needed.
-No cardio on off days, just focus on diet.
-Once target reps are hit, increase weight and work back up to target reps next session(s).
-No need to count calories, just eat sensible portions to lose weight and as much or often as you can to gain weight

I <3 my girlfriend

2/6/2011 9:45:49 AM

Fatty protein or lean? Or are you gonna do something like olive oil on veggies? I'm down 5 pounds and look better in the mirror since January. Yay me!

2/6/2011 10:02:19 AM

that is awsome H8R!!!!!!!

^^and when i first saw that i was ...but i see its not that bad. (at first glance it looked like you had youre meals set out an everything-like exactly )

[Edited on February 6, 2011 at 10:03 AM. Reason : ^yay! ]

2/6/2011 10:03:19 AM

I hate beans, any secrets to make them tastier while still reaping the health benefits?

And what are your plans for legumes....? If you dont mind me asking

2/6/2011 11:52:49 AM

More tips for the diet during the non cheat day:
No more than 12oz of artificial sweetened anything. The whole point of the diet is to have a very low glycemic load on your system. Anything sweet will trigger an insulin response. Lemon/lime juices, vanilla extract, cinnamon will be your flavors for anything that resembles sweetness. Spices are terrific on the diet, the higher the heat, the better.

As far as fatty vs lean protein, I'd probably say higher in fat, especially if you want to gain weight. But if you're just looking to drop pure weight really doesn't matter unless you want more calories. I'd say lean towards lean for the ladies and more saturated fats for the men. Oils are ok for the veggies. The whole concept is based on a very low glycemic load throughout the week and then you have a cheat meal once per week to cause hormonal changes that improve fat loss. You'll increase cAMP and GMP and improving the coversion of T4 to T3 thyroid hormones. We have a protocol on cheat days as well that looks as such:

Upon Waking(30 min prior to meal 1):
750 to 1500ml ice cold water(1-2 Absolut Vodka bottles[with water in them])
2400mg Cissus Quadrangularis(1/2 tsp)(anabolic)
300mg Alpha Lipoic Acid(1 capsule) "A"
400mg EGCG(1 capsule) "G"
200mg Garlic Extract(1 capsule) "G"

Meal 1:
3500mg Creatine Monohydrate(1 heaping tsp)(anabolic)
1 scoop pre + probiotics + digestive enzymes "greens"
Animal protein
Legumes
Mixed Vegetables

Meal 2:
Grapefruit(reduces GL of meal)
Whatever food you want(not a binge)

Sip on citric juice water all day(lemon/lime)

Continue "AGG" and "PAGG" as normal before crap meals.
Before your biggest meal/binge you:

100-200mg caffeinated yerba mate tea(containing theobromine + theophylline)
60-90 seconds of light exercise(air squats, wall presses, band pulls) to bring GLUT-4 to the surface
4.5g of cinnamon(saigon cinnamon is best)

Now eat whatever you want

90min after another 60-90 seconds of light exercise

Answering the question on legumes....I've already been eating this bean concoction for a while. It costs <$6(from wal-mart) and contains 30x 200 calorie servings.

2lbs Great Value Pinto Beans: $1.68
2 Jars of 28oz Great Value White Corn & Black Bean Salsa: $3.96

Soak the beans overnight. Wash. Pour in salsa, beans and 2 empty salsa jar-fulls of water. Simmer for 2 days on low, stirring every few hours to avoid scorching along the sides. After around 2 days, it'll be a pretty thick and soft mixture, similar to refried beans just not mashed. I'll sometimes add lethicin granules to the mixture too to add more thickness and soy lethicin is great for nerve repair, brain function and increasing seminal volume. Basically they are just healthy fats added to a non-fat dish.

But for more variety to those who like variety, I'm making a garlicky lentil soup for morning meals. Black beans will make a big appearance in most evening meals. You can also take white kidney beans + cauliflower and mash them together and it comes out similar in texture and taste to mashed potatoes. Add spices for more flavor of course. Edamame, green peas, green beans, snow peas will also be in the mix for legumes. They say not to overconsume things like peanuts/tree nuts since the calories add up fast, but they still work for the diet.

Alcohol is also ok to drink almost every night, dry wines are best, so most reds. on the cheat days though, it does not matter, you eat or drink anything and as much as you want that day.

2/6/2011 2:06:27 PM

Wow - do you think that's something you and Linda can maintain? What are you goals for that plan and how long do you foresee being able to keep it up?

2/6/2011 3:56:52 PM

^if you read it it's actually not THAT hard, pretty well thought out actually

2/6/2011 4:54:57 PM

once again id like to say ive been doing SO good. but im about to go to a superbowl party and ruin it

2/6/2011 5:53:50 PM

Porcha - I see you are following The 4 Hour Body almost to the T...

Ferris seems to have some good ideas, but after looking in to a lot of it, it seems just to be a lot of over-hype and marketing.

Not saying that method won't work. However, it just seems like a loopidedoopidee way of reducing calories and stimulating a little extra (marginal?) calorie expenditure.

I'll be curious to hear about your progress with this method and compare it to my cut when I start it in March... I am really aiming to maintain my strength and muscle gains while shaving off some body fat to get to single digis.

2/6/2011 9:24:40 PM

Aight, how does this sound for a basic workout? I'm doing 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Bench Press
Lat Pull
Overhead Press
Leg Press
Crunches
Leg Curl
Bicep Curl
Leg Raise
Assisted Dips


Not all in that order, but still. Am I getting all the majors in there?

2/6/2011 10:29:06 PM

just do the starting strength wiki for beginners.

really.

2/7/2011 2:09:27 AM

^^ it looks like a lot of isolation exercises, no compound movements (ok, bench/press count), and not enough legs

2/7/2011 5:37:09 AM

Quote :

"once again id like to say ive been doing SO good. but im about to go to a superbowl party and ruin it"

i'm the same way! the weekends ruin me - well mostly my long runs on Saturdays (for my half-marathon training).

Quote :

"I'll be curious to hear about your progress with this method and compare it to my cut when I start it in March... I am really aiming to maintain my strength and muscle gains while shaving off some body fat to get to single digis."

i don't know how long porcha and begonias have been doing 4 Hour Body but i saw Linda a couple of weeks ago and she's looked fabulous!

2/7/2011 8:10:17 AM

dang b0' this thread is painful to look at.

be natural y0.

eat veggies!




[Edited on February 7, 2011 at 9:43 AM. Reason : ]

2/7/2011 9:41:34 AM

Just after a few weeks I can actually start to notice the little bit of pudge I have sliding off a bit.

I would still like to add a little bit of mass to my upper body (mainly chest and biceps/triceps -- I have naturally broad shoulders) so I'm sure I'll gain some of that back when I up the lifting/eating and back off the cardio a bit but I'm really encouraged at this point.

Weekends like this past one aren't going to help me though going out Saturday for 7-8 beers and then having 5 Sierra's at a Super Bowl party last night.

2/7/2011 11:44:38 AM

This was my last Fuck You weekend for a while. Mister Dweedle came into town which meant I had to eat pizza and candy all day just to keep up with him, plus last night I had Turducken, wings, Pimanti Brothers sandwich, guacamole, lobster tails and cheesecake, plus at least 10 beers.

Now we start the purification process.

2/7/2011 12:03:16 PM

paging begonias

I want to eventually become a group fitness instructor. We're talking in like...2 year or so, after graduation and improving my fitness some more. Anywhere you recommend using to get certified?

2/7/2011 1:01:44 PM

Packman, what else would you suggest?

2/7/2011 6:37:18 PM

arms in P90X tonight.... won't be able to lift them above my head tonight

2/7/2011 10:25:44 PM

Hmmm, I'm down to 169.4 (and I actually forgot to weight and did that with khakis and a t-shirt on). I can definitely tell my bf% is decreasing, but I'm not sure I want to lose much more weight. I suppose I was a bit high for my height (5'9") but no one really noticed and I seem to carry weight very proportionately.

I'm going to stay the course though, and see if I level out with the weight loss before gorging myself and cutting some cardio.

[Edited on February 8, 2011 at 8:17 AM. Reason : for reference I've been about 172-174 for three years now - only this winter was I unhappy with bf%]

2/8/2011 8:16:39 AM

I started the 100 pushup and 50 pullup routines this week. I was able to jump in about 1/2 way through each because of prior training. I don't think 100 pushups is all that far fetched but I'm curious to see if I can hit 50 pullups in a couple months.

http://hundredpushups.com/
http://www.fiftypullups.com/

2/8/2011 10:53:39 AM

^I'm assuming they are talking consecutive? But yes 100 pushups is a lot "easier" than 50 pullups (at least in my experience).

I've never been able to do 50 consecutive pullups but did 100 consecutive pushups a couple days a week back in my wrestling days. Today, I'm happy to get ~20 consecutive pullups and ~50 consecutive pushups. Maybe I should push myself as well to try and up my numbers since I haven't really pushed hard to add reps on either of those in awhile.

2/8/2011 11:08:38 AM

Well, tomorrow marks two weeks since I've started changing my lifestyle. I am down 5lbs and fit into an old pair of pants one size smaller.

I've been stepping on the scale every morning which I usually don't do but I am because I'm amazed to see it drop every single day by about .5lb. It's crazy to think my body is so overweight that finally being healthy has kick started the depletion process. Especially after yrs of trying a couple months of just cardio and healthier eating wielding no results.

I'm super happy. My only concern is when I get to my goal weight maintaining it since that's something I've never done before. Any tips?

2/8/2011 2:48:43 PM

Quote :

"paging begonias I want to eventually become a group fitness instructor. We're talking in like...2 year or so, after graduation and improving my fitness some more. Anywhere you recommend using to get certified?"

Are you a NCSU student? If so - http://ncsu.edu/stud_affairs/campus_rec/fitness/trainee-programs/group-exercise.php, they follow the ACE manual and give you all the info you need without buying all the costly materials. If not AFAA is another good option. I think the tests are both around the same price, but AFAA is easier because you can go to a one day workshop and they'll tell you everything you need to know. If you want a lot of knowledge and good experience, take the NCSU class and go through ACE.

2/8/2011 3:46:56 PM